Ephesians 2: 8, 9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. --NASB
In the name of the One Who gives us faith, amen.
Let's say your grandmother wants to give you a pint of blueberries that she had picked in the wild. But you don't have a container to carry them in. Oh, you want those blueberries, but what can you do? I suppose you could put them into your pockets and hold some in your hands, but by the time you got home you wouldn't look too good and neither would the blueberries. What do you think your grandmother would do? I expect she would give you a container to carry them in. In other words, not only would she give you the berries, but she would give you what you needed to receive the berries. That is the way it is with God's grace (undeserved love). He gives us faith so that we are able to receive His grace.
Our faith is a gift from God. What a wonderful reality. Faith, the thing that receives grace and mercy from God is itself a gift from God. Why is it then that some people talk about faith as if it is something they do? They will say things like, "I made my decision for Jesus in the summer of '98." But if that is the case, then their faith is a work that they do, a decision that they make. Or they speak of Baptism as being an outward sign that they believe in Christ. But if Baptism saves us as St. Peter says in the third chapter of his first letter, then it must be God's work and not ours or the passage above would be a lie.
Because of our sinful pride, we are always trying to take God's glory for ourselves. We want some of the credit. But all the credit belongs to God. He is the One Who saves us by His grace, and then gives us faith to receive that grace. What a comfort to know that God gives us what we need for salvation--even faith. Because if it were up to us, we would mess things up in our weakness. Glory to His name! Glory to Him for giving us faith as a gift. Amen.
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, You provide everything that we need to live both physically and spiritually. We thank You for this and confess that we do not always give You credit for what You do. Forgive us because of the death of Your son Jesus. Strengthen the faith that You gave us so that we always give You the glory that belongs to You, amen.